Outback 2009: Strangways Springs

21 July 2009, 10:04 pm

People establish, or try to establish, settlements in the strangest places.

Strangways Springs was settled in the 1860s by pastoralists, then added to in 1870 when it was selected as the site for a repeater station on the 3200 km (2000 mile) long Overland Telegraph. Being sited near a mound spring ensured that it had a small, but constant, source of water. But not enough to support sheep or cattle in drought years.